When the bond between a loving pair of bunnies
is broken by the death
of one, their grieving human caretaker must think what's
best to do for the surviving rabbit.HRS volunteers who
foster multiple rabbits face this problem as one of their responsibilities.
We would like to share the experience of some of our volunteers
with you. The first step is to assume the
surviving rabbit is grieving, even though
this grief may be expressed differently by
different rabbits. Michelle Wilhelms, HRS
Chapter Manager in San Diego, notes that
rabbits respond to loss individually. "I
have noticed some rabbits after the loss of
a companion, look for the other rabbit for
a period of time and may leave droppings
around. The grieving rabbit may be more
quiet and reserved-perhaps not eating
as much. Some get destructive-tearing
up things they never bothered before."Michelle
recommends giving extra attention
and toys, as well as monitoring the grieving rabbit's eating habits.

Bea VanHorn, a volunteer with HRS in
Colorado, has also seen a dramatic response
to loss. She writes about a grieving
rabbit: "Freddie's response was pure anger.
He lashed out at everything and was visibly
miserable. He also became ill. While I spent
hours a day loving him and showering him
with attention, it was clear that I wasn't the
perfect mate for him. He is now bonded in
a threesome. My feeling is that at least if he
loses one of them, he will still not be alone."

A bonded group of more than two
rabbits is an excellent strategy to prevent
the scenario of a solitary, grieving rabbit. As
always when introducing rabbits, it is best
to let the rabbits choose their own friends. >
Working with your local shelter or HRS
foster is one way to do this. If a loss occurs
before you can adopt your "support group"of
cuddly rabbits, volunteer Margie
Wilson offers a creative interim solution (see The Right Stuff for a
Bereaved Bunny article). And now, the
story of two rabbits whose need for love
transcended
their limitations and eased the heart of their foster parent.
- Holly O'Meara

JOEY,
A YOUNG HOLLAND LOP,
was neglected so badly that infections
left him blind in one eye and with
limited sight in the other, deaf, and
with chronic respiratory problems. He
could have been a candidate for euthanasia
because he sat in his house like a
live lump of fur, not responding to anything.
That is, until Trixie came along.

Though young, the stunted mini lop had
terrible malocclusion
requiring removal of
her incisors shortly after she arrived.
People were also not on her "favorite
things" list. Fortunately, fate placed her
house next to Joey. The interest on the part
of both bunnies couldn't be ignored, and
since both were likely to be permanent
fosters, they were introduced. It was rare,
bunny-love at first sight.

Joey and Trixie were moved into a larger
suite suitable for two bunnies, and Joey got
more attention than he'd ever had. Trixie
not only became his "seeing eye" bunny,
also kept his bad eye thoroughly cleansed.
The infection from his prior life had sealed
the tear duct with scar tissue, so that his eye
wept constantly and required unwelcome
cleaning from human hands. Soft licks
from Trixie, however, were a completely
different story. Everyone who saw them
was charmed by their total devotion to
each other.

Majic also came from a nearby shelter.
After being declawed on all four feet he was kept as a classroom rabbit in
a small, wire - floored cage for five years before he
couldn't stand poking fingers any longer. A
simple touch would cause him to whirl and
sink his teeth into an offending hand, so the
shelter could not put him up for adoption.
At home we realized he couldn't eat properly,
either, and the next day he went into
severe head tilt. Years of inability to scratch
his own ears caused a nasty ear infection.
In addition, his molars were so badly cupped
he could only chomp up and down;
no grinding motion was possible, as the
upper teeth fit inside the lower teeth like
pegs into holes.

By the time Majic was well, he'd been
handled and cuddled so much that he was
a sweetheart towards humans. However,
introductions to other rabbits proved
futile, due to extreme defensiveness and
insecurity on Majic's part.

Majic was housed on the lower half of an
old bunk bed. Thick, soft rugs, placed over
water proof mattress pads, made a
comfortable "house" for him, and a 24-inch-tall
pen made a perimeter around the edge of the
mattress to keep other bunnies
out. Because declawing had left him with nerve
damage on all four feet, Majic wouldn't
jump down the short 14 inches to the floor .
There wasn't a latch on the pen where the
panels met, as Majic didn't try to push
them open. The bed was in the same room
as the large house for Trixie and Joey.

After two happy years with Trixie, Joey's
condition worsened, and his weight fell
away. One evening Joey had a seizure. My
husband, Tom, and I rushed him to our
animal clinic. With the help of our veterinarian,
we evaluated Joey's health. He had
gotten to the point where he couldn't eat.
He couldn't swallow and was physically
unable to accept food from a syringe. Sadly,
we decided on euthanasia. Trixie was
allowed to stay with Joey's body for a while,
so she would understand that he was gone.

Back home, Trixie made a small and pathetic
picture as she lay in her empty house
looking totally miserable and depressed;
her dinner untouched. I stayed with her
awhile and made her as comfortable as possible
but felt horrible for her as I went to bed.

Morning brought an incredible surprise.
Majic had pushed open his pen
during the night and had jumped down to
lay next to Trixie's house. She was lying
inside near to him. I decided to experiment
and opened Trixie's door. She came out,
and the two met nose to nose. Neither was
quite sure what to do, but it was clear they
had no intention of fighting, so I broke all
of my bonding rules and left both pen and
door open for the day. I put Majic back on
his bed, as it was unlikely he could jump
back up there, but I left the pen open.

For the next two days, Trixie went back
and forth between Majic's pen and her old
house, before abandoning her house completely
to stay with Majic. During those first
two days, they explored their developing
friendship. Majic fully accepted Trixie's
presence in his pen yet didn't force his attention
on her. By day three, they were cuddling
and grooming, and Trixie's hearty
appetite had returned.

I still get teary thinking about Joey, but I
never cease to be amazed by the things I see
animals do. I'm very happy that Majic and
Trixie were able to find love together.